In 1887 a group of Congregationalists founded Pomona College in an effort to create a "college of the New England type" on the West Coast. Over time new colleges were added eventually creating the Claremont College Consortium which currently consists of five undergraduate liberal arts colleges and two graduate universities. Together the consortium is home to approximately 5,000 students.

The consortium offers a wealth of educational and cultural resources all accessible to Pilgrim Place residents. Residents are able to attend college classes at any of the colleges, visit the college museums and galleries, attend musical and theatrical performances, and have over 7 libraries available for personal use including one of the largest libraries in the county, Honnold/Mudd Library. Not only are residents able to enroll in classes at the Colleges and the graduation theological institutions, many residents also team-teach alongside youger faculty or as emerita/us faculty. Cross-generational education is writ large in several departments and supported by the Napier Initiative program of Pilgrim Place.

The recent establishment of Claremont-Lincoln University as an institution of training for faith leaders in an interfaith context correlates strongly with the interfaith experiences and concerns of many Pilgrims.